🌇 Riding off into the sunset: Verizon’s Message+ is shutting down in November. The suggested replacement is Google Messages, which really is your best bet. It supports RCS texting, the new standard that makes it easier to send pics and videos.
The FBI is sounding the alarm: I’ve been saying this for years: For sensitive convos, always use end-to-end encrypted apps. It took a massive telecom cyberattack from Communist China for the Feds to say it. Signal, WhatsApp, Google Messages and iMessage work for both calls and texts. PSA: RCS messages between iPhones and Androids aren’t encrypted.
Text-raordinary mistake: RCS messaging makes texting between an iPhone and Android device better, but there’s a catch: These messages aren’t encrypted. Google Messages is encrypted for Android-to-Android, and Apple Messages does the same for iPhone-to-iPhone texts. Between Android and iPhone? No encryption, meaning it’s super easy for a hacker to see your texts.
🫧 Green chat bubbles aren’t going away: When you text from an iPhone to someone on an Android device, there’s a setting you can enable for better image and video quality — plus, no more “Kim liked a photo” responses to emoji reactions. On iPhone (iOS 18 only), go to Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging. On Android, open Google Messages, then tap your profile pic > Messaging settings > RCS chats.